Efforts have been taken to finish off each leg before the particular city heads for election.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) final will be held on May 12 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Tuesday, informed the franchises about the final fixture.

Keeping the seven-phase general election in mind, the BCCI has allotted seven home matches to each and every franchise. “We have spoken to the local administration with all the centres and they have assured all support,” a Board official told Sportstar.

Efforts have been taken to finish off each leg before the particular city heads for election. For instance, Kolkata Knight Riders will play its last home match on April 28, much before the city heads for the polls.

“In some centres, we have ensured that there are no matches closer to the election date. And we have done these adjustments accordingly,” one of the Board officials said, referring to Mumbai.

The city heads to elections on April 29, and as a result there aren't any matches in the city in between April 16 and May 2. “These are the adjustments we had to ensure to ensure there aren’t much of logistical issues,” one of the franchise officials said.

Visakhapatnam has been kept as a back-up venue.

Though the Board hasn’t announced the dates, theBCCI has informally told the franchises that it is looking at May 7, May 8 and May 10 as the possible options for the Qualifier 1, Eliminator and Qualifier 2 respectively. Along with Chennai, Hyderabad is set to host the play-off fixtures. However, the three closed stands of the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai could be an issue. "We are keeping all options open. In case, there are issues, we have venues like Mumbai (Wankhede Stadium) ready. There is enough time," one of the Board officials stated.

"The reason for not announcing the dates for the knockouts is to stay flexible with the dates, keeping the elections in mind," the official said.

With the Central Election Commission imposing certain restrictions as to when the fixtures should be held, the Board wants to be extremely careful about the dates of the knockouts.

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